The Single Biggest Factor in Long-term Organisational Success

Apr 06, 2019 1 Min Read
Alt

What ultimately constrains the performance of your organization is not its business model, nor its operating model, but its management model.


The Future of Management, Gary Hamel

Factors of organizational success:

Jim Collins says the key factors for success include:

  1. Getting the right people on the bus
  2. Getting the right people in the right seats.
  3. Getting the wrong people off the bus.
  4. Level 5 leadership – Humble leaders with indomitable will. (Good to Great)

READ: How to Build an Environment Where Teams Thrive and Talent Wins

Managers:

“Gallup finds that the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success.” (It’s the Manager)

Organizations ask, “How do managers get more out of people?”

“Ironically, the management model encapsulated in this question virtually guarantees that a company will never get the best out of its people. Vassals and conscripts may work hard, but they don’t work willingly.” Gary Hamel

READ: 4 Unique Rules To Manage Successful Tech Teams

Boss to coach:

The BEST managers are coaches, not bosses. Jim Clifton and Jim Harter say there are three requirements of coaching.

  1. Establish expectations.
  2. Continually coach.
  3. Create accountability.

3 tips for shifting from boss to coach:

1. Understand the dance between freedom and intervention.

Give high performers freedom. Intervene when performance lags.

Intervention isn’t oppression or punishment. It might mean weekly one-on-ones, instead of monthly.

2. Overcome the most difficult shift.

Solving problems for talented people devalues their talent. Over-helpfulness sucks the life out of talented people. Stop giving quick answers.

Coaches help people find their own answers. The old style of management, when people were tools, is to give them answers and expect conformity.

3. Practice accountability that energizes people.

Accountability that energizes is self-imposed. We need to rise above the false notion that we can force people into high performance.

Noticing is healthy accountability. Walk around noticing performance as it relates to expectation.

Work that isn’t noticed goes down in value.

What factors enhance long-term organizational success?

How might managers bring out the best in people?

Reposted with permission.

Dan Rockwell is a coach and speaker and is freakishly interested in leadership. He is an author of a world-renowned leadership blog, Leadership Freak. To get in touch with Dan, write to us at editor@leaderonomics.com.

Share This

Business

Alt

This article is published by the editors of Leaderonomics.com with the consent of the guest author. 

You May Also Like

Alt

How to Streamline Daily Tasks in Your Business

Running a business involves juggling countless daily responsibilities, from managing client communications and scheduling appointments to handling administrative tasks and ensuring project deadlines are met. Without an efficient system in place, even the most talented teams can feel overwhelmed, leading to missed opportunities, stressed employees, and a decline in productivity.

May 01, 2025 5 Min Read

Women

Shifting from Your Job to a Purpose

Ruchita Dar Shah, the founder and CEO of First Moms Club shares how she made the leap from the creative field to entrepreneurship, her journey thus far, and the challenges that came with stepping out of her comfort zone and taking the road less travelled.

Mar 07, 2019 20 Min Video

Be a Leader's Digest Reader